Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

WORKSHEET: Technoethics for Social Justice

Adapted from Krutka, Heath, Willet (2020) Critical Technoethical Topics for Technology and Teacher Education

Purpose
“Technologies are not neutral, and neither are the societies to which they are introduced” (Krutka, Heath, & Mason, In press). As
educators working to change unjust structures in schools, we have an obligation to interrogate the technologies we use with our
students. We also have an obligation to interrogate the schools and classrooms to which we introduce these technologies. Finally, we
have an obligation to act. Acting with care to change unjust structures is central to social justice. Fr. Arrupe (1973) argued that “...in
the last analysis, it is the oppressed who must be the principal agents of change. The role of the privileged is to assist them; to
reinforce with pressure from above the pressure exerted from below on the structures that need to be changed.” We can make change
by acting through our pedagogy, through our personal lives, and as a collective to make institutional change.

This worksheet is designed to help you analyze technologies and the societies to which they are introduced, in order to take informed
actions for social justice.

Directions
This worksheet has three parts.
Part I - Technoethcial Analysis
1. Complete the chart using different lenses to analyze a technology in order to consider its potential effects on the unjust
structures of school. Refer to the Technoethics for Social Justice Lenses as needed.
Part II - Inequities in Technology and Society
1. Synthesize your findings to identify inequities in the technology and in society that will complicate a just implementation of
the technology.
2. Conclude the best ways to use (and not use) the technology.
Part III - Informed Action for Social Justice
1. Identify ways that you can make change in your school, your life, and your community, as a result of your conclusions about
the technology.
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

Part I - Analyze a Technology

Name of Technology: Google Suite (G Suite for Education)

Lens Compelling Questions Response to Compelling Questions (Include reasoning and

support)

Environmental Were the raw materials for this
Justice technology ethically sourced?
Is the energy needed to power
the technology ethically
sourced?
Google is proud to be the leader in energy efficiency for the industry.
Their data centers are twice as efficient as others. They have been
carbon neutral since 2007 and match 100% of the energy their
operations use with renewable resources.
“We believe our industry can and must do better than just holding the
line on energy use. We can actually lower it, serving more users
while using fewer resources” (Google Environmental Report, 2019).

Google is working for a positive environmental impact “in five key

ways: by designing efficient data centers, advancing carbon-free
energy, creating sustainable workplaces, building better devices and
services, and empowering users with technology” (Google
Environmental Report, 2019). All the products are carbon neutral
which can help consumers reduce their environmental impact. As
noted in the Google Environment Report (2019), businesses that
utilize G Suite have reported reductions in IT energy use and carbon
emissions up to 87%.

Democratic Does this technology afford or G Suite for Education is designed for students and educators of all
Justice (Attends constrain democracy and justice age groups. As it must follow COPPA, any students under the age of
particularly to for all people and groups? 13 would need parent consent on its use.
identity. Ie.
racial, While it was hard to find anything specific that Google does to
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

indigenous, perpetuate a just system (or unjust), there is very little to address how
disability, and the use of this platform is incredibly dependent on the school system,
gender justice) and teachers.

We do think that Google has made strides in making their websites

and programs more accessible to some students with disabilities.
Embedded in Google Docs, and Google Slides is speech to text
software and there are many extensions you can add to your Google to
allow for magnified screens, color contrast, and text to speech
software. Additionally, built into Google is translation features so
students who are learning english as a second language can access
material in their preferred language.

Legal Justice Are laws that apply to our use of
this technology just?
Google has been under fire for data collection, and selling the data.
There are many concerns surrounding what student information is
being collected without the consent of families. Hector Balderas, the
attorney general in Mexico, filed a lawsuit against Google accusing
them of “violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA)” (Morrison, 2020).

Economic Are the ways the developers
Justice profit from this technology
ethical?
Are non-exploitative labor
practices used in the design,
development, and
manufacturing of the
technology?
As G Suite for Education is free to schools and there aren’t any ads as
they are turned off for educational domains it does not profit directly.
Watters (2019) highlights a big part of the business model Google
follows. She explains how Google uses teachers as “marketers and
testers” to consistently be creating new content, adapting current
materials and furthering their brand at lower costs.
The way Google will profit is after students/educators are getting
more familiar with Google and want to branch out and buy
technology designed by Google (chromebooks or G Suite after out of
school). As people get used to the type of technology they are
working with, they are more likely to stick with it. Similarly to other
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.
Technological What are unintended and
Justice unobvious problems to which
this technology might
contribute?
(Postman, 1997)
Is the technology designed
ethically?
Is the technology used ethically? alternatives from a district level (Desson, 2018). Without providing
Pedagogical In what ways does this
Justice technology afford and constrain
learning opportunities?
technologies, once someone finds what they like they will more likely
buy the same products (if someone grew up on an iPod, they probably
prefer an iPhone over an Android).
Finding the specific design practices of G Suite for Education is
difficult, but overall as a Google company, they are committed to
equal employment opportunity and welcome differences.
“Regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin,
sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, identity
or Veteran status.
School districts who fully integrate Google Suite for Education give
very limited options for families who do not feel comfortable creating
a digital footprint for their elementary aged child.
Craig Desson (2018) writes about a family who opted out of having
their daughter utilizing G Suite for Education. At the time of the article
being written, the school system provided no other alternatives for the
child(ren) who chose not to participate. The only suggestion from the
school system was for the families to band together and push for
alternative opportunities for students, school districts are immediately
putting students at a disadvantage.
Schools may need to increase the infrastructure at their school to
support additional use of technology. Utilizing budget in this way
could prevent other materials from being purchased.
At times, G suite for education can allow students more access to
technology and potentially increased technological skills in school
buildings. However, this brings up additional questions about equity
among schools, school districts, and even state to state. Students in
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

the same school district could have vastly different access to

technology depending on the way the school chooses to spend their
budget.

In some ways, having a cloud based service like G suite for

Education can make student materials more accessible for students at
home. Learning can continue seamlessly from school to home
without students needing to take home several notebooks, books, or
materials as many of these resources can be added to Google
Classroom.

In Kentaro Toyama’s i, he writes a detailed narrative about how

simply putting technology in classrooms does little to lessen the
achievement gap. He states “technology at school may level the
playing field of access, but a level field does nothing to improve the
skill of the players” (Toyama, 2015 p. 117). I think this comes into
play when you think about schools using G suite for education, or
Google’s own chromebooks. These technologies may unknowingly
contribute to the increased achievement gap.
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

Part II - Inequities in Technology and Society

Technological Inequities

What unjust technoethical issues must be addressed in order for a just implementation of this technology?
Although G Suite for Education is said to have privacy, there are many aspects that are still unsure as to what is being collected and
how it’s being used. A lawsuit has been brought up against Google in February 2020 in New Mexico stating “allegedly invading
children’s privacy through educational products it provides to the state’s schools, claiming it tracks students’ activities on their
personal devices outside the classroom” (Morrison, 2020). Making sure that student’s data is not being used and they are protected
is a key player in whether or not this technology should be implemented.

Social Inequities

What unjust social structures must be addressed in order for a just implementation of this technology?
There needs to be clear structures in place for families who do not wish to have their student in the G Suite for Education. These
alternatives need to be equitable and just as respected as the technological counterpart. We also think you need to look wider at
access and equity, students don’t have equal access at school or at home. If a school system wants to implement G Suite for
education, until they can ensure quality internet access at home, this needs to stay within the school building.

Conclusion

Should you/your district use this technology? If so, what is the most just method for implementation?
As my school district has Office 365, G Suite for Education is not something that is utilized however, as talks of the future school
year are underway, it looks like the elementary schools will be getting chromebooks. Will they utilize G Suite? I’m not sure but with
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

some of the technoethical issues discovered, I’d be surprised if they did. As one of Google’s competitors, many of the pieces of
Office 365 are similar to the G Suite and are utilized by teachers. I enjoy using all the parts of Google for my personal work as I am
taking responsibility for using it.

Part III - Take Informed Action

As you develop your action plan, consider how you will center the power and wisdom of people who are marginalized and oppressed.
How will you leverage your privilege while still ensuring the oppressed are the principal agents of change? How can you exert
pressure from above and below on the structures that need to be changed?

Please visit our community sourced WIKI - Social Justice Action Ideas for Educators, for inspiration and suggestions.
What informed action will you take to make change in your school, your life, and your community?

Through your pedagogy With your peers In your own, daily, At an institutional level
technology use

What can you do with your
own students to help them
become aware of and
confront injustice in
technology and society?
How can you engage in How can you be more How can you affect change at
consciousness raising with responsible and advocate for an institutional level?
your friends, colleagues, justice in your own daily use?
and/or family?
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

References

Desson, C. (2018, June 11). As Google for Education tools enter classrooms across Canada, some parents are asking to opt-out |
CBC Radio. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/401-google-for-education-1.4694935/as-google-for-education-
tools-enter-classrooms-across-canada-some-parents-are-asking-to-opt-out-1.4694939

Google. (September 2019). Google Environmental Report 2019. Retrieved from

https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/google_2019-environmental-report.pdf

Morrison, S. (2020, February 21). Google’s education tech has a privacy problem. Retrieved from
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/21/21146998/google-new-mexico-children-privacy-school-chromebook-lawsuit

Watters, A. (2019, December 31). The 100 Worst Ed-Tech Debacles of the Decade. Retrieved from
https://hackeducation.com/2019/12/31/what-a-shitshow

10. Google for Education (Kept on for group to reference as needed; cited above)
In April 2010, Oregon became the first state to open up Google Apps for Education to all its public schools. “This move is going to save the
Department of Education $1.5 million per year — big bucks for a hurting budget,” Google boasted on its blog. And for a while, the news was full of
stories about this state or that state, this district or that district “going Google” (as well as a fair number of PR from Microsoft about those who
opted to stay with its suite of office and email products).
Google introduced the Chromebooks in 2011, and although the hardware was largely panned, Chromebooks found a receptive customer base in
education, happy to have a cheaper alternative to the more expensive Apple or Microsoft devices — perfect for the new online assessments
designed for the Common Core. (Apple sneers about this. No surprise as Chromebooks now make up 60% of all laptops and tablets sold to K-12
Group Members: Jodi B., Emily B., & Emily R.

schools, up from 5% in 2012.) In 2014, the company launched Classroom, its free pseudo-LMS, one of many products aimed at the education
market — aimed at making Google the platform for education.
But at what cost comes “free”? Google continues to data mine its education products — it won’t say exactly what data it collects from students.
And the company has faced several lawsuits from students over whether the data that’s scanned is used in advertising, still Google’s main
business.
It isn’t just the use of student data to fuel Google’s business that’s a problem; it’s the use of teachers as marketers and testers. “It’s a private
company very creatively using public resources — in this instance, teachers’ time and expertise — to build new markets at low cost,” UCLA
professor Patricia Burch told The New York Times in 2017 as part of its lengthy investigation into “How Google Took Over the Classroom.”